WineTasteTV - Latest Updates

20 Questions for Richard Elia, Publisher, President, and Writer for QRW: Quarterly Review of Wines

Cathy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:01:00 PST

Tell me about QRW. What's your intention with the magazine? Who are you reaching out to, and what kind of stories will readers find in your pages? Our intention is to advance the cause of wine and passion about wine. Knowledge about wine is also what I want. I am still a teacher. Why did you start QRW? Because I wanted to write and read and learn. What better way than to start your own publication...How many years has QRW been published? What, in your opinion, are some of the most important tre ...

They're not just a pair of dungarees, what are lees?

Derek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:41:00 PST

They're dead yeast cells. Most of the time they're the dregs: but lees are sometimes used to enhance wines. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

Summer Summer Everywhere and Oh So Much to Drink: Hot Weather Drinks in Belmont and Boston

Cathy — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:19:00 PST

"People drink when the economy is good, and they drink more when the economy is not so good."That's Mike Martin of Constellation Brands being quoted in a Wall Street Journal article today about the alcohol industry's strong showing in an otherwise down economy. Martin also noted that consumers of Constellation's wine, beer and spirits are drinking less in restaurants and bars and more at home.That's good news for wine shops like The Spirited Gourmet in Belmont and BRIX on Broad in Boston, who bo ...

Tennis pro rant or Austrian classification, what is a Federspiel?

Derek — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:37:00 PST

Federspiel is not when Roger Federer goes on a diatribe. It's part of the classification of Gruner Veltliners is Wachau, Austria. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

East Coast West Coast: Boston Bidders at Auction Napa Valley

Cathy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:42:00 PST

Twenty-seven years ago the Napa Valley Vintners established Auction Napa Valley, a philanthropic venture designed to celebrate Napa's collaborative tradition and to give back to the community at large.I don't know whether any Boston area wine lovers participated in the first auction 27 years ago, but I do know that they showed up, with bells on, for the 2008 auction a few weeks ago.Mike Gruber of Lexington, for example, has been attending the auction for the past five years. "We just go because ...

Columbus discovered it and so have winemakers? Find out about the New World for yourself.

Derek — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:33:00 PST

So what really is the difference between 'Old World' and 'New World' wines? Whatever they are, they are eroding fast. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

Simply Umami: Just Drinking the Stuff at Stir, Boston

Cathy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:58:00 PST

By Grace GuFor a long time – about 2400 years to be precise – scientists and gourmets searched for a term to describe the delectably meaty, savory characteristic that dominates foods ranging from aged parmigiano to soy sauce. It wasn't until 1907 that Japanese professor Kikunae Ikeda identified the source of this unique taste, which was neither sweet, nor salty, nor bitter, nor sour: the breaking down of an amino acid called glutamate through processes like curing, smoking, ripening, and aging. ...

Toast to the Bartender at I Trulli, New York City

Cathy — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:42:00 PST

It was as though my subtlety gene had gone into recession.I was sitting at the bar at I Trulli, an enoteca on East 27th Street in New York, with three glasses of three different reds in front of me. And, try as I might, I just couldn't tease out much in the way of absolute distinction between the three.Fortunately, if it's one thing restaurant people appreciate in their guests, it's effort.The bartender noticed my struggle with the "Earthy and Elegant" flight she'd recommended: Rosso Piceno 2005 ...

What Wine Goes with Cult Pizza? A Report from Centiole's in Girardville, Pennsylvania

Cathy — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:23:00 PST

Centiole's in Girardville, Pennsylvania, about 15 minutes from where I grew up, makes pizza. To say that the pizza has a cult following would be an understatement of mass proportion. Let me tell you the factors that contribute to its beyond-cult status:? Very limited opening hours. Centiole's is open two nights a week, Friday and Saturday, from about 5 until about 9:30 or 10. And that's it. In the 20 years or so that I've known them, the schedule has never changed.? Very limited supply of pizza. ...

'Greek vines' from Roman times? This grape has a history!

Derek — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:28:00 PST

Aglianico is thought to mean 'Greek vines' even though it now grows in the south of Italy. Either way, this chocolatey, tannic varietal is sure to last for centuries to come. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

Road Trip to Central Pennsylvania: Shade Mountain Vineyards & Winery

Cathy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:00:00 PST

Central Pennsylvania isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of wine country. But the grape growing industry has been nurtured there for several years now, encouraged partly by favorable legislation from the state and partly by small family farmers with long histories of toiling the soil.Shifting to growing grapes, rather than corn or wheat, seems like a shift from third gear to neutral, from high-powered monoculture to a more diverse crop selection. The Zimmerman family, of Shad ...

20 Questions for Mary Taylor of the Thoreau Wine Society

Cathy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:29:00 PST

You're living in Burgundy but you have a very strong connection to the Boston area. Tell me about that.Im grew up in Concord, MA, my parents are still there and I return from time to time. It's a compelling place, so beautiful and so much history. Later I went to Boston College and lived in Allston for some years, while working at the Prudential Center and then at Boston University. I eventually moved to New York but I remain faithful to my Beantown roots, and I love Boston restaurants like Upst ...

Things Overheard While Drinking and Dining Around Boston:

Cathy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:57:00 PST

? "This Gewurztraminer is like the first time you have sex. It's a little awkward, and it takes a little getting used to. But now, when it's almost finished, I love it!"? "This is a celebratory dinner so we won't be having wine."? "I just think better after two glasses of wine at lunch."? I sat next to someone in a café who had brought her knitting and a book called The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. She ordered her wine – a 2005 Trimbach Gewurztraminer – only after she tasted the gril ...

Loire Valley Wines: Dessert Wines

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:50:00 PST

Ever wonder how a dessert wine is made? Brian Duncan educates us on the process a grape undergoes to create those sweet and fruity flavors we crave and what they pair well with.

What do the CIA, former KBG and winemakers have in common?

Derek — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:16:00 PST

There may even be a few operatives in the trade, but what they all have in common is their propensity to declassify. I suppose each one of them for very different reasons. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

The Second (and Third and Fourth) Glass: Portuguese Wine at Ivy Restaurant, Boston

Cathy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:14:00 PST

By Tracy KimThe expectation, going into the Portuguese wine class tonight hosted by The Second Glass, was lots of Vinho Verde and other simple summery white wines, and maybe a port to finish.The reality was something quite different.By the time I made it to Ivy Restaurant, the last thing I wanted was a simple summer white. Venturing outside tonight meant rain boots and a tough skin against the hail and thunderstorms. I was wet, I was cold, and I did not want to be drinking summery white wine all ...

Loire Valley Wine: Cabernet Franc

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:35:00 PST

This wine for grown-ups can range from elegant and delicate to rustic and chewy. Join Brian Duncan as he talks about two Loire Valley Cabernet Francs and what they pair well with.

Sweet, look what they've left behind! What is RS?

Derek — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:13:00 PST

Residual sugar, or RS, is the term for sugar in wine left over from fermentation. It sure gets sweet. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.

Bad Languedoc Wine, Redux?

Cathy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:21:00 PST

Last week we wrote about the mystery of a "bad" wine that turned out to be from the Languedoc region of France. "At least for now," we wrote, "white wines from the Languedoc just to do not it for us. The good news is that we can learn about why they aren't as appealing as, say, a white wine from the Loire. The other good news is that, knowing our sensitivity to whites from the Languedoc, we can look to try other producers and other vintages until something clicks."I got my first post-bad-wine-fr ...

What white grape comes from the lost Island of Atlantis?

Derek — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:04:00 PST

Assyrtico... Well, that is if you believe the theory that says Greece's island of Santorini is the mythical island Atlantis. Either way, it's one of Greece's top white grape varietals. Find out more in WineTasteTV's handy glossary.